Recommended children's booklists sorted by age or topic

Topic: Africa

Good Dog Lion

Chapter book, Dyslexia-friendly

A beautiful, heartwarming story set in Africa about a young boy and his yearning for a pet dog. From internationally bestselling author Alexander McCall Smith. Timo and his mother do not have much money – in fact, they have almost none. But that does not matter too much, because Timo has his mother and she has him. They have their little house. They have friends and neighbours. They have the world about them. All of that can be enough for happiness. There is one more thing, though, that Timo would like to have …A dog! High quality cream paper and a special easy-to-read font ensure a smooth read for all.

The Lion Roars

Alan Gibbons & Chris Chalik

Chapter book, Dyslexia-friendly

Jimi dreams of playing in the all-white kit of the Lions of Senegal but he can’t see how his dream will ever come true. Even though he is the best footballer in the region, the bigger boys never let him play with them. But can he change their minds? With huge support from his family, Jimi finds that there is nothing that he can’t achieve!Interwoven with lots of facts about the history of African football and African-born footballing superstars such as Didier Drogba, Samuel Eto, Patrick Viera and Yaya Toure, this book is ideal to engage reluctant reading football fans. Particularly suitable for struggling, reluctant and dyslexic readers aged 8+.

Too Small Tola

Atinuke & Onyinye Iwu

Chapter book

This story is set in Lagos, Nigeria and gives an insight into the everyday life for one Nigerian family.

The story focuses on Tola, who is the youngest in the family and she is not only the youngest but she is also the smallest – although Grandmummy, who looks after the family is also very tiny. Each member of the family has their own distinctive characteristic – Moji, who studies hard and Dapo, who is obsessed with football.

The book has three chapters and each has a clear message for the reader. Even though Tola is small, Tola shows that she is both strong and determined in all situations but also kind and caring. The stories show how being kind to others often brings benefits. In one story Tola has soft drinks, ice-cream and doughnuts having carried home the heavy shopping of many of the people who live in the block of flats. In another story, her kindness helping Mrs Shaky-Shaky, an elderly resident of the flats she lives in, is repaid when the residents stand together against the bully boys who trip Tola up as she carries water back to her family. In the final story, Tola’s thoughtfulness for the tailor who breaks his leg and is unable to take measurements from his clients around the city, is repaid by the tailor making a beautiful outfit for Tola.

This book helps to diminish stereotypes of non-descript ‘African’ settings and replaces them with a clear picture of life for a family in Lagos. More importantly, the author skilfully crafts believable characters that appeal to all children and couples this with a message that goes beyond the national boundaries of the story setting.

The No. 1 Car Spotter

Atinuke & Warwick Johnson Cadwell

Picturebook

Oluwalase Babatunde Benson is No. 1. He’s the No. 1 car spotter in his village. The No. 1 car spotter in the world!

The start of an exciting new series about the irresistible No. 1, whose hobby is car spotting but who is good at solving all sorts of problems for his village.

When the family’s cart breaks down and there’s no way of bringing goods to market, it’s No. 1 who devises the Toyota Cow-rolla and saves the day. He runs errands for his family and helps Mama Coca-Cola feed the busloads of people who stop for her delicious fried akara. No. 1 even helps Grandmother get to the medical centre when she can’t afford treatment.

No. 1 is bright and plucky and resourceful – a fantastic new character in what will undoubtedly prove to be a brilliant series!

On My Papa’s Shoulders

Niki Daly

Picturebook

The back cover declares the story to be ‘a celebration of fathers everywhere’. The illustrations reinforce that: they convey a sense of modern Africa, while yet picturing scenes that happen in cities worldwide.

Similarly, the little boy who tells the story is every child; every boy or girl who enjoys the care and attention of different family members, valuing each one – Mama, Tata, Gogo and Papa – in different ways. Mama for helping to tie his shoe laces and her goodbye kiss; Gogo for allowing him to feed the wayside cats, for listening to him and for being gentle; Tata for going slowly and splashing in puddles. But it is from Papa’s shoulders that a small boy’s view of the world is transformed. From there you can see more and further. You feel tall and strong too. This is commuting in style! This is love – supportive, mutual, familial, simple.

Set in South Africa, this story will have wide appeal and may prompt conversations in Early Years and KS1 classrooms about journeys to school and daily routines. The text is concise and clear (which helps when reading aloud); the ink-and-watercolour illustrations lively and sensitive.

All the Animals Were Sleeping

Clare Helen Welsh & Jenny Løvlie

Picturebook

This picture book about a little mongoose and his adventure in the African Serengeti just before bedtime is a heart-warming and descriptive story. The illustrations in this quietly bewitching book are detailed and sophisticated – the bold brush strokes of colour paint a dramatic African night sky as a background to the story. The repetition in the story has shades of ‘We’re Going on a Bear Hunt’ within it however it is also suitable for an older audience thanks to its long, elegant sentences and rich vocabulary; ‘giraffes lay like shells curled beneath the tall acacia trees’ and ‘vervet monkeys hugged the boughs…their toes and tails hung like fruits from the branches’. This book may be of interest to parents to read as a bedtime story as well as EYFS or KS1 teachers teaching about the Serengeti setting. At the back of the book is a superb three-page non-fiction section detailing all the Serengeti animals that appear in the story accompanied by beautiful illustrations – some children will relish this part of the book as much as the story.

Africa Topic

Africa Topic Booklist

Africa is a large and diverse continent with over a billion people including thousands of different cultural groups and indigenous languages. From stretches of desert and mighty mountains to impressive waterfalls and wonderful wildlife, the geography of Africa offers much to explore, as does the history of its people from ancient times to the rich diversity of its modern population. We’ve put together a list of the best children’s books to help young explorers studying the topic of Africa…

The Butterfly Lion

Christian Birmingham & Michael Morpurgo

Chapter book

This novel, by the popular children’s author Michael Morpurgo, is the inspirational tale of a young boy called Bertie, who grows up in Africa and befriends a white lion cub. Will their friendship last over time when they are both sent abroad? This is a text that will starkly contrast the wild plains of Africa to the setting of a stiff boarding school in England, and the moving storyline will have pupils hanging onto your every word.

Anna Hibiscus

Atinuke

Chapter book

Anna Hibiscus is a young girl who lives in an African city with her family. This early chapter book is an excellent choice for KS1 and the story collection offers a window into what everyday life might look like for one child growing up in one part of amazing Africa.

The White Giraffe

Lauren St John

Chapter book

This is the first novel in Lauren St John’s popular series. When a young English girl called Martine moves to live with her grandmother on a South African game reserve, she finds herself feeling lonely and isolated. One night she sees a mysterious silver giraffe and as she begins to befriend it, a thrilling mystery begins to unravel.